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ISLAMABAD: Popular YouTuber and TikTok influencers Rjab Butt and Nadeem Naniwala were granted major relief soon after their arrival in Pakistan from the United Kingdom on Tuesday night. The Islamabad High Court has granted both influencers protective bail in cases pertaining to gambling apps and cybercrime.

During the hearing of the petitions regarding cases against the duo, Justice Inam Amin Minhas said the petitioners’ counsel sought 15-day bail on the plea that a case is already pending in Karachi. Justice Minhas granted 10-day protective bail to Butt and Naniwala, while stating that the petitioners must be tried in the concerned courts.

The protective bail ensures that the social media creators will not be arrested immediately upon arrival, allowing them temporary legal cover while the courts process their cases. This follows the Islamabad High Court’s earlier order for granting one-day protective bail to avoid detention at the airport.

Rjab Butt and Nadeem Naniwala reached the country after deportation from the UK late Monday night. They reached the Islamabad High Court premises in a car without number plates, which raised questions over the car’s access to the court complex. Butt offered clarification that the car does not belong to him, while the car driver said it was his and he had allowed the duo to sit inside.

Legal observers say that the cases against the YouTuber and TikToker are to their promoting gambling applications and to cybercrime laws, which had been investigated for several months. However, with the protective bail, there is temporary relief, but the duo would eventually need to go to the courts in Islamabad and Karachi as the case continues through the courts.

But Butt and Naniwala’s supporters hailed the court decision as a “relief for digital content creators.” Critics however emphasized that there was a need for strict compliance with the local laws set aside to regulate online platforms. One of the most common reasons for availing protective bail in Pakistan is to avoid immediate arrest in cases involving multiple legal proceedings against an individual, so that the courts get sufficient time for consideration of petitions and arguments. We can further predict with this development that Rjab Butt and Nadeem Naniwala will be freed from immediate detention, continuing their legal strategy as the courts deliberate on the wider ramifications of the gambling and cybercrime charges.

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